Moving To Colorado
by welsh-nikki
Summary: Rodney is leaving Area 51 for his new job as a member of John Sheppard's gate team, but first he has to get to Colorado in one piece. Sequel to Alternate Universe Theory.


This a sequel to my Story Alternate Universe Theory. It has been gathering dust on my hard drive for quite some time now, so I figured it was time to post it. I considered adding this as a crossover with SG1, but that would mean moving the other story in the series, which might wipe out any favorites bookmarks.

I'd like to thank my betas Mackenziesmomma and Ferryman. Any remaining errors are my own.

**_Previously in Alternate Universe Theory:_**

_Astrophysicist Dr Rodney McKay was sent to the SGC to help after an accident with the Stargate left Teal'c trapped in the gate date storage buffer. Rodney's Stargate simulation program appeared to predict that Teal'c only had 48 hours to live. However, Rodney and Sam Carter discovered that the program had been tampered with. The sabotage was traced back to NID Agent Simmons, who was arrested. Meanwhile Rodney met Major John Sheppard who invited him to join his gate team, SG13. _

* * *

><p>"But McKay? Seriously?" asked Captain Evan Lorne, a stunned expression on his face.<p>

2nd Lieutenant Laura Cadman pulled a face and kicked him under the table.

"Have you got a problem with Dr McKay joining our team?" Sheppard inquired, one eyebrow raised.

"Well no sir, not exactly, it's just he has a reputation for being difficult to work for." Evan explained. "Some of our science staff here used to work at Area 51. Apparently McKay's good at his job, but he's arrogant, obnoxious and makes the other scientists cry."

"Really?" said Sheppard, "because he seemed perfectly agreeable to me. He even offered to share his cake."

"Maybe he has a crush on you sir?" suggested Laura with a smirk.

"Don't even joke about it." Evan moaned, returning Laura's kick.

"Well, you'll get to meet him for yourselves soon enough." Sheppard told them. "He's moving to Colorado Springs tomorrow so I said we'd help him unpack."

"Sorry sir, got other plans." said Laura with a cheeky grin.

"Washing your hair again?" snarked Evan.

"Well cancel them." Sheppard told her. "What's the most important rule of being on an SG gate team?"

"Never leave a man behind?" suggested Evan.

"Close," said Sheppard.

"Team means family." declared Laura.

"Well done Lieutenant." said Sheppard with an approving smile. "Which means we're going to make Dr McKay feel welcome on his first day here."

"Maybe he'll change his mind." Evan muttered to himself. "Decide he'd rather stick with his computer models than risk the dangers of joining a gate team."

Somehow, Evan didn't think his luck was that good.

* * *

><p>The following afternoon, Dr Rodney McKay pulled his rented Prius into the drive of the house that the SGC had found for him in Colorado Springs. The moving van had already arrived, and a man in denim overalls was opening up the back doors. Rodney sighed in relief that the journey was finally over. Hopefully Major Sheppard would be bringing over some willing volunteers to help him unpack, but right now Rodney would settle for being able to make himself a cup of coffee in his new kitchen. Rodney got out of the car and opened the back door to fetch his cat Newton, who was in a smart new carrier strapped to the back seat. The young tabby cat was wearing a shiny metallic tag attached to his collar, announcing his owner's name and new address. Rodney took the carrier to front of the house and gently placed it down by the front door, where it would be shaded by some tall bushes.<p>

"Hey Newton, we've arrived." Rodney said in a gentle tone of voice that would have surprised his work colleagues, who were more used to sarcasm and vicious insults. "I've got a couple of things to sort out, but you should be fine here for a few minutes."

Rodney was planning to set up Newton's things in the laundry room, so he would have somewhere safe and sound to wander round while the unpacking was underway, but first he needed to speak to the delivery men.

The last week had been a mad panic, flying back to Nevada, dealing with paperwork, packing up his apartment and his office. NID Agent Simmons had been arrested for treason, for his attempt to undermine the SGC. Rodney wasn't surprised to hear that the NID were investigating the probable sabotage of his computer model of the Stargate. In all probability the whole affair would be hushed up and Simmons would get off on a technicality. Fortunately, Rodney had made a copy of the software, backups and audit logs. His hand reached down reflexively to touch the small flash drive in his pants pocket. If he was lucky, he would be able to track down whoever amended his code and make sure they paid for what they had done.

He walked round to the back of the moving van, to supervise the unloading, but was surprised to find the van was mostly empty.

"Hey, where's all my stuff?" he shouted, turning to see the driver standing right by him, holding a handgun. Three more armed men appeared, surrounding Rodney.

Rodney felt a chill run down his spine. These goons must be working for the Trust.

"Get in the van McKay, or we'll be forced to shoot you." one of the men told him.

Seeing no other option, Rodney did as he was told. His kidnappers tied his hands behind his back and ordered him to sit in the back of the van. Then the man who appeared to be the leader injected him with some sort of drug and he passed out.

* * *

><p>Evan stared at the row of identical white suburban houses, with their neatly mowed lawns. "I think we took a wrong turn two blocks back, sir."<p>

Hey there's nothing wrong with my navigation!" exclaimed Sheppard. "And we're off duty now Lorne, you don't need to call me sir."

"Sorry Major, force of habit." Evan apologized. He picked up the list of instructions that Sgt. Harriman had written down for Sheppard and tried to read them, but the once pristine sheet of paper was now smudged, crumpled and covered in coffee stains.

"Hey, isn't that our turn?" shouted Laura from the back of the car. She leaned forward and pointed to a turning on their left.

"You know, I think Cadman may be right." Evan said, as he caught a glimpse of a moving van parked in the drive of one of the houses.

Sheppard parked his Mustang outside McKay's rented house and got out, putting on his aviators. He was dressed in his civilian clothes, old worn jeans and black tee under a checked button down shirt. The others were similarly dressed, although Cadman was wearing cut off jeans to show off her tan. He noticed the Prius parked next to the moving van. A couple of workmen in blue overalls with the moving firm's logo were sitting on the front step. One of them had lit a cigarette, and they look bored. The driver was leaning on the door to his van, talking into his cell.

"Hang on Marlene, this could be him now. Hey, are you McKay?" he asked John.

"No, sorry. I'm John Sheppard." John introduced himself. "We're supposed to be meeting Dr McKay to help unpack. Isn't that his car on the drive?"

"Don't ask me, mister. It was parked there when we arrived. The cat belongs to McKay though, got his name on it's collar."

John noticed that the man was sitting next to a carrier holding a young tabby.

"Hey, are you going to unlock the house for us?" the driver asked. "We only got a couple of hours to get this stuff unloaded."

"Oh, right sure." John said, searching in his pocket the spare key, which he handed to Evan. "Hey, Lorne, would you and Cadman unlock the house and help these nice people unload McKay's things?"

As John walked back down the drive, he paused to check out the interior of the Prius, but he didn't spot anything that would suggest a break in or a struggle. Sighing with frustration, he leaned against the car and pulled out his own cell. The first number John dialed was McKay's cell, but he was redirected to voicemail. Next he tried the airport, which confirmed that McKay's flight arrived on time. Finally he phoned the rental company, who confirmed that a Dr McKay had collected the Prius as expected. He was wondering what to do next when he spotted two boys walking towards the house. He waited until they were at the bottom of the drive before he called out to them.

"Hey, do you kids live round here?" he asked.

"What's it to you, Mister?" asked the older of the two boys.

"It's OK, I just need to know what happened to the man who's supposed to be moving in here today." John explained.

"No idea." the boy said. "We've been playing football round the block."

"You could ask the men from the van." the younger boy pointed out.

"I've tried that already," John told them, wistfully.

"What about the other van?" the older boy suggested.

"There was another van?" John asked, with growing dread. "Can you tell me more?"

* * *

><p>It was getting late by the time SG13 returned to the mountain, but there was no question of them going home to sleep. A member of their team was in trouble and they would do what ever it took to save him. As soon as they had reached the level where the SGC offices were located, John had disappeared to explain what had happened to General Hammond and request back up for a rescue operation. That had left Laura and Evan to begin the search for the kidnappers.<p>

So far, all they had to go on was the company name on the side of the bogus moving van and the approximate time it had left Rodney's house. Laura was using her computer skills to try and track down where the kidnappers could have gone. With nothing to do, Evan was feeling restless. He had passed the first couple of hours playing with Newton, but now the kitten was curled up asleep in a make shift basket. He had tried making paper airplanes to throw at Laura, until she had snatched away his notepad and thrown his creations in the bin. Evan had wisely refrained from trying to rescue them.

"So, find anything yet?" he asked, leaning over her shoulder.

"That's the fourth time you've asked me that and the answer is still no." she snapped.

"Look, the only thing we have to go on is the company name on the side of the moving van. There's a chance that the kidnappers painted it on themselves, but I don't think it's very likely."

"Why not?" asked Evan, curious.

"I found a legitimate company with the same name and their logo matches the one the kids drew for the Major. The thing is, they specialize in commercial haulage, not moving vans." Laura explained. "If the kidnappers were going to fake a company logo, it's an odd choice."

"Oh. So we know who owns the van, that's good, isn't it?"

"It's a start." Laura agreed. "If I can find the connection between the haulage company and the kidnappers, it might lead us to Dr McKay."

"So how do we find that out?" Evan asked.

"The company has a website for advertising and sales. I've been trying to hack into it for the past hour. Now if you could just be quiet and let me get on with it?"

"Sorry." Evan apologized. "I'll just go and get us some coffee from the mess, shall I?"

"Wait, I think I've cracked it." Laura exclaimed. Evan leaned on Laura's shoulder and watched as she navigated her way through the haulage company database.

After a few minutes, Laura turned to look at Evan.

"I think we may be onto something. There are a number of bookings from a Mr Simmons_. _The billing address is in Nevada, near Groom lake_. _It's listed as an abandoned airfield."

"Wasn't Simmons that NID agent that got arrested for treason?" Evan asked. "He might have a grudge against McKay, but how could he organize a kidnapping from a prison cell?"

"Simmons wasn't working on his own. Maybe his friends wanted to shut McKay up before he implicated them too?" Laura suggested. "Look, there's a recent booking in the name of M. Devlin for the same billing address. The van is due to be returned tomorrow morning."

"What if they're not taking McKay to Nevada?" Evan asked. "They could drop him off on route, put him on a plane, or even take him off world."

"It would take nearly sixteen hours to get from McKay's house to Groom lake in a rental van. If they don't stop for breaks, they could get there by 6am. That only leaves us three hours if we're going to intercept them. We need to tell the Major now."

Half an hour later SG13 found themselves gathered round a conference table with General Hammond and Major Davies. John was trying to convince the General to launch a mission to rescue Rodney.

"I'm Sorry Major, but I can't approve a rescue mission." the General patiently explained. "We don't know for certain if Dr McKay is still in that van, or if it's destination is Groom Lake. Even if it is, you don't have time to intercept the van before it arrives."

"What if we sent in troops from a local base to intercept the van?" John suggested.

"That would be risky." Major Davis pointed out. "We don't know how far the rogue NID faction have infiltrated."

"I can't just sit back and do nothing sir, that's a member of my team in trouble." John complained.

"I understand how you feel son," the General said sympathetically. "but I can't risk the lives of the men under my command for what might turn out to be a wild goose chase."

"May I make a suggestion sir?" asked Laura. "Could we use one of the military satellites to watch the base and see when the truck arrives?"

"Good idea Lt, I'll ask Major Carter to look into it." agreed the general.

"Would that tell us if McKay was in the van though?" asked Evan, thoughtfully.

"It's got to be worth a shot," said John.

"If Carter finds anything, I'll authorize a rescue mission." the General promised. "Why don't you all go and get some rest while you can."

* * *

><p>When Rodney woke up he was lying face down on a cold stone floor and his head was throbbing with pain. For a moment he wondered what had happened to him, then the memories of the kidnapping came flooding back. He risked opening his eyes and was relieved to find he was in semi darkness. He really didn't think he could deal with bright lights at the moment. He attempted to push himself up off the floor and was hit by a wave of nausea. He stopped to catch his breath, willing his stomach not to empty it's contents over the floor. Moving slowly, he managed to sit up and leaned back against a nearby wall.<p>

Looking round the room Rodney discovered he was in some sort of holding cell. There were no windows, which could mean that he was in some sort of underground facility. The light was coming from a gap at the base of the door. There was a narrow bed against the opposite wall and a bucket had been placed in one corner of the room. In the corner closest to where he was sitting someone had left a tray with a small jug of water and a plastic pack that was probably an MRE. It occurred to him that his captors probably wanted to keep him alive, if they thought it was worth the effort to feed him.

Rodney couldn't face eating right now, but a drink of water sounded like a good idea. Unfortunately that meant moving from where he was sitting to where they had placed the tray. He decided that standing up was probably a bit ambitious, but he figured he could manage to crawl to the tray. The water turned out to be lukewarm and slightly metallic tasting, but it seemed to settle his stomach. He checked the label on the MRE; it had lemon in it, but there was a chocolate brownie, and a small portion of coffee. After he drank the coffee his headache started to clear and the brownie helped restore his blood sugar, which had probably dropped dangerously low by now.

Now that his most urgent needs were taken care of, Rodney was finally ready to risk standing for long enough to make use of the needed to make use of the bucket in the corner. When that was done, he checked the door, but there was no obvious way to unlock it from this side. Finally he decided to crash out on the bed and wait to see what his captors wanted. There was a lumpy pillow and a thin scratchy blanket. It wasn't his own bed at home, with the expensive prescription mattress, but it wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Rodney wasn't sure how long he was left in his cell, but he thought it was sometime the following day before a couple of guards come to collect him. They dragged him, none too gently, down a brightly lit corridor to an interview room. As with the cell, there were no windows to give him a clue where he was or even what time of day it was. The room was air conditioned, so he could be anywhere from Vancouver to the arid deserts of Nevada. For all he knew, they could have put him on a plane and flown him half way around the world.<p>

He was pushed down into a chair and his hands were cuffed behind his back. One of the guards went to stand by the door, but the other remained standing behind him. He was left waiting for a few minutes, before a dark haired man in a tailored black suit entered the room.

"Who the hell are you and why have you kidnapped me?" Rodney demanded.

"Dr McKay, you're here to answer questions, not to ask them." the man replied. "Perhaps you would like to start by explaining where you've put the files you took from Area 51."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Rodney said, defiantly.

The kidnapper threw Rodney's flash drive down on the table.

"I've had my people checking this out all afternoon. All they found were personal data and some mp3 tracks."

"And your point is?" snarked Rodney.

"Stop wasting my time, Dr McKay." the man demanded, leaning across the table so his face was close to Rodney's. "The people I work for are very anxious to recover the copies you made of the Stargate simulation. It would be in your best interests if you cooperate."

"And if I don't?" asked Rodney.

"Then I'll find a way to make you. Sergeant, get my case." he ordered the guard standing behind Rodney. The soldier fetched a black leather briefcase from the corner of the room and placed it down in front of Rodney.

The kidnapper opened up the briefcase to reveal a glass bottle filled with a clear liquid and a syringe.

"Oh god, not more drugs." Rodney moaned.

"We could beat you up a bit if you'd prefer, but I find this method far more efficient, less messy." the man explained as he prepared the syringe. "This will make you feel a lot more cooperative."

After the man stabbed the needle into his arm, Rodney felt the world spin round him and then everything faded into blackness.

* * *

><p>The second time Rodney woke up in his cell, he was lying face down on his bed. If anything the headache was worse than before and the blanket felt damp from something he sincerely hoped was sweat. His body ached from fresh injuries he didn't remember receiving. He only had fuzzy memories of the interrogation, but he was pretty sure that the kidnappers hadn't been happy with what he had told them. It would have been funny, if his situation hadn't been so desperate.<p>

Rodney was still lying there feeling sorry for himself when he heard the scrape of the door opening and the room was flooded with bright light.

"Dr McKay?" asked a voice that Rodney didn't recognize. He slowly turned to face a man dressed in an SGC uniform, flanked by two marines holding BDUs.

"Who else would I be?" Rodney snapped, holding a hand up to shield his eyes from the bright light.

"Captain Evan Lorne, SG13." the Captain introduced himself. "We're here to rescue you."

"Great, the cavalry. What took you so long?" Rodney snarked.

Ignoring the sarcastic comment, Evan reached up to activate his Coms.

"Major, we've found him."

Evan listened to the reply from his commanding officer, then walked over to the bed to help Rodney stand.

"Can you walk on your own, or do you need help, Dr McKay?" Evan asked.

Rodney felt a sudden wave of dizziness and his stomach lurched.

"Oh my god," he gasped, lurching toward the bucket just in time to throw up what little food he had eaten since his capture.

"OK, I guess you're going to need some help." Evan said. "Smith, Johanson, help Dr McKay."

As his team of rescuers walked along the maze of corridors in the enemy base, Rodney found himself staring at the SG13 patch on Evan's shoulder. Rodney was sure it should mean something to him, but his mind was still a little fuzzy from the drugs.

Eventually they reached a door that opened onto an abandoned airfield. The dry heat of the Nevada desert hit Rodney like a punch to the gut after the air conditioned cool of the base. There was a helicopter parked on the nearest runway, next to a couple of military vehicles. Slouching casually against the helicopter, talking to a pretty female Marine, was Major Sheppard. That was when Rodney suddenly remembered that SG13 was the designation for his new team.

* * *

><p>The next few hours were a blur. Sheppard flew the team back to Colorado, where Rodney was taken directly to the infirmary. After a thorough check up, including several blood tests, Dr Fraiser finally declared that Rodney didn't have any serious injuries, but he would need to stay overnight for observation, until she was sure the drugs had all worked their way out of his system.<p>

Sheppard and the rest of the team turned up at dinner time, with a tray of food.

"Hey, you brought blue Jell-O." Rodney exclaimed, his face lighting up

"Yeah, well, I remembered you liked it." John mumbled.

"Did I thank you for saving my life?" Rodney asked.

"Several times." Cadman told him, with a grin. "You also kept asking about your cat, Newton."

"Hey, where is the little guy, anyway?" Rodney asked.

"Dr Fraiser wouldn't let us bring a cat into the infirmary so you're gonna have to wait till you get your ticket out of here, but don't worry, he's safe and sound here at the SGC." Evan told him.

"Yeah, Evan's been playing with him." Cadman teased.

"Oh thank god." Rodney sighed in relief. "If they'd got their hands on him..."

"Why would the NID be interested in your cat, McKay?" asked Sheppard, curiously.

"Can you guys keep a secret?" Rodney asked his new team. They nodded their heads in affirmative.

"The flash drive the NID were after, the one with all my back up data on it, is attached to Newton's collar."

"What like in Men in Black?" Sheppard asked, grinning.

"Yes. I think I told them when they drugged me, but they thought I was just talking nonsense because of the drugs." Rodney admitted, guiltily.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Sheppard said. "Anyone would have talked in those circumstances. What matters is that we've shut down another rogue NID operation thanks to you."

"Thanks to you guys, you mean. I didn't really do anything, except get kidnapped."

"Yeah, like Daphne in all those Scooby Doo cartoons." joked Evan.

"Are you calling me a girl?" Rodney demanded.

"Hey, what's wrong with being a girl?" Cadman asked.

Evan smirked at Rodney's spluttering apology to Cadman. The poor guy was trying his best to fix his mistake, but just seemed to be digging himself in deeper.

Sheppard sat back and watched the rest of his team gathered around Rodney's infirmary bed, a satisfied smile on his face. This was the gate team he had been hoping for; a group of people who were more than work colleagues, who fit together like a family. SG13 were going to make a great team.

**The End (for now)**


End file.
